Pop-gun.



N0. 653,376. Patented luly I0, I900.

A; E. CHAPMAN. I

PDP GUN.

(Application filed May 2, 1900.) (No lludel.)

' WITNESSES INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO E. CHAPMAN, 0 P'LAJOEBVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

POP-

GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653376;, dated July 10,1900.

Application filed May 2, 1900.

T0 at whom it Wmy concern:

Be it knownthatI, ALoNzo E. CHAPMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Placerville, in the county of El Dorado and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPop-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pop-guns, the object of myinvention being to provide a toy of this character which shall be cheapand simple in construction and which can be used-with any small piecesof paper instead of with the cork stopper'used in connection with theordinary form of pop-gun.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination,and arrangement of parts for the above ends hereinafter fully specified,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of thepop-gun. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, the plunger beingshown in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plungerremoved. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the flexible disk which servesto close the exit of air from the chamber of the pop-gun. Fig. 5 is abottom plan view of the holder for the paper. Fig. 6 is a perspectiveView of the same detached from the pop-gun looking at the upper sidethereof.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the cylinder of the pop gun,which is'turned outward at its upper end to form a flange 2, serving asa rest or abutment for the hand when depressing the plunger, saidcylinder having at its lower end a flange 3. On said flange 3 is crimpedthe holder 4, and a disk 5 of thin; flexible material is clamped betweensaid holder and said flange 3. Said holder at has its central part 6depressed to form a support for a strip of paper which is adapted to bepassed through slits 7, cut on each side .of said central part andseparating it from the holder 4:.

8 is a plunger having formed thereon at its top a suitable knob 9, bymeans of which to retract or depress the plunger. The lower end of theplunger is formed with a flexible washer 10,adapted' to fit snuglywithin the cylinder 1.

The strip of paper having been inserted in Serial No. 15,272. (Nomodel.)

the holderfrom oneside or the other through the slits 7, the plunger isdepressed, thereby compressing the air in the chamber of the cylinder.Thedisk 5 has a central hole 11, and the compression of the air forcesthe free edge of said hole down upon the paper, thus preventing theescape of air from the cylinder. The central portion 6 of the holder hasalso a somewhat larger circular aperture 13, and thus continuedcompression of the air in the chamber of the cylinder will rupture thestrip of paper contained in the holder and-permit the compressed air toescape from the aperture thus formed and through-the circular hole 13 inthe central portion of the holder, and this escape of air will beaccompanied by a violent explosion on account of the extreme compressionto which the air has been subjected. The extent of this compression willvary with the tensile strength of the paper.

The advantages of my construction are that the device is complete initself and does not necessitate the use of a cork stopper, which is veryliable to belost and which if lost is comparatively expensive andinconvenient to replace. With my improvedpop-gun, however, any ordinarypaper may be used if out up into pieces of suitable'sizes. Furthermore,a more violent explosion can be produced than with the common form ofpopgun, as the extent of compression is limited only by the tensilestrength of the paper and the strength of the device itself.

' I claim- 1. In a pop-gun, the combination with a suitable cylinder,and a plunger, of a holder for a strip of paper, and means forautomaticallyclosing the exit of air upon depression of the plunger,whereby further compression of the air ruptures the paper and producesan explosion, substantially as described.

2. In a pop-gun, the combination of a cylinder, a plunger therein, aholder mounted at the end of the cylinder, and adapted to support astrip of paper thereon, and a flexible disk over said paper sosupported, and arranged to be depressed upon said paper by the operationof the plunger and make an air-tight joint thereon whereby thecompression of the air by further operation of the plunger ruptures thepaper and produces an explosion, substantially as described.

3. In a pop-gun, the combination of a cylinder, a plunger therein, aholder mounted on the end of the cylinder having a depressed, aperturedcentral portion with side slits through which a piece of paper can beinserted, and means whereby the depression of the plunger automaticallyrenders the central chamber air-tight, whereby further depressionthereof ruptures the paper and causes an explosion, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a pop-gun, the combination of a cylinder, a plunger therein, aholder mounted on the end of the cylinder having a depressed aperturedcentral portion with side sl its'for permitting the pieces of paper tobe inserted 15 and rest upon said central portion, and a flexibleapertured disk mounted in the cylinder above said depressed portion,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 20 hand in the presence of twosubscribing wit- 1 nesses.

ALONZO E. CHAPMAN. \Vitnesses:

H. II. WALLING, CHAS. F. IRWIN.

